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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
Capítulo 4, Página 3
“Boscombe
Valley
is
a
rural
area
not
far
from
Ross,
in
Herefordshire.
The
largest
landowner
there
is
Mr.
John
Turner,
who
made
his
money
in
Australia
and
returned
to
England
a
few
years
ago.
One
of
his
farms,
Hatherley,
was
rented
to
Mr.
Charles
McCarthy,
who
also
came
from
Australia.
The
men
knew
each
other
from
their
time
in
the
colonies,
so
it
wasn't
surprising
that
when
they
settled
down,
they
did
so
close
to
each
other.
Turner
seemed
to
be
the
wealthier
man,
so
McCarthy
became
his
tenant
but
remained
on
equal
terms,
as
they
were
often
together.
McCarthy
had
a
son,
an
eighteen-year-old,
and
Turner
had
a
daughter
of
the
same
age,
but
neither
had
wives.
They
seemed
to
avoid
the
local
English
families
and
led
quiet
lives,
though
both
McCarthys
enjoyed
sports
and
were
often
seen
at
local
race
meetings.
McCarthy
had
two
servants—a
man
and
a
girl.
Turner
had
a
larger
household,
at
least
six
people.
That's
all
I've
been
able
to
gather
about
the
families.
Now
for
the
facts.”
“On
June
3rd,
last
Monday,
McCarthy
left
his
house
at
Hatherley
around
three
in
the
afternoon
and
walked
to
Boscombe
Pool,
a
small
lake
formed
by
the
stream
spreading
out
in
Boscombe
Valley.
He
had
been
out
with
his
servant
in
the
morning
in
Ross,
and
he
told
the
man
he
had
an
important
meeting
at
three.
He
never
returned
alive
from
that
meeting.”
“From
Hatherley
Farmhouse
to
Boscombe
Pool
is
a
quarter
of
a
mile,
and
two
people
saw
him
as
he
walked
there.
One
was
an
old
woman,
whose
name
isn't
mentioned,
and
the
other
was
William
Crowder,
a
gamekeeper
working
for
Mr.
Turner.
Both
witnesses
say
Mr.
McCarthy
was
walking
alone.
The
gamekeeper
adds
that
a
few
minutes
after
seeing
Mr.
McCarthy,
he
saw
his
son,
Mr.
James
McCarthy,
going
the
same
way
with
a
gun
under
his
arm.
He
believes
the
father
was
in
sight
at
the
time,
and
the
son
was
following
him.
He
thought
nothing
more
of
it
until
he
heard
about
the
tragedy
that
evening.”
“The
two
McCarthys
were
seen
after
William
Crowder
lost
sight
of
them.
Boscombe
Pool
is
surrounded
by
thick
woods,
with
a
fringe
of
grass
and
reeds
around
the
edge.
A
fourteen-year-old
girl,
Patience
Moran,
the
lodge-keeper's
daughter,
was
picking
flowers
in
one
of
the
woods.
She
says
she
saw
Mr.
McCarthy
and
his
son
near
the
lake
and
they
seemed
to
be
having
a
violent
argument.
She
heard
Mr.
McCarthy
senior
using
very
strong
language
towards
his
son,
and
she
saw
the
son
raise
his
hand
as
if
to
hit
his
father.
She
was
so
scared
by
their
fight
that
she
ran
away
and
told
her
mother
when
she
got
home
that
she
had
left
the
two
McCarthys
arguing
near
Boscombe
Pool
and
feared
they
would
fight.
She
had
barely
finished
speaking
when
young
Mr.
McCarthy
came
running
to
the
lodge,
saying
he
had
found
his
father
dead
in
the
woods
and
needed
the
lodge-keeper's
help.
He
was
very
agitated,
without
his
gun
or
hat,
and
his
right
hand
and
sleeve
were
stained
with
fresh
blood.
When
they
followed
him,
they
found
the
dead
body
on
the
grass
by
the
pool.
The
head
had
been
beaten
in
by
repeated
blows
from
a
heavy,
blunt
object.
The
injuries
could
have
been
caused
by
the
butt
of
his
son's
gun,
which
was
found
on
the
grass
a
few
steps
from
the
body.
Under
these
circumstances,
the
young
man
was
immediately
arrested,
and
a
verdict
of
‘wilful
murder’
was
returned
at
the
inquest
on
Tuesday.
He
was
brought
before
the
magistrates
at
Ross
on
Wednesday,
and
they
referred
the
case
to
the
next
Assizes.
Those
are
the
main
facts
as
they
came
out
before
the
coroner
and
the
police
court.”
“I
can
hardly
imagine
a
more
damning
case,”
I
remarked.
“If
circumstantial
evidence
ever
pointed
to
a
criminal,
it
does
here.”
“Circumstantial
evidence
is
a
tricky
thing,”
Holmes
said
thoughtfully.
“It
might
seem
to
point
clearly
to
one
conclusion,
but
if
you
change
your
perspective
slightly,
it
could
lead
to
something
entirely
different.
However,
I
must
admit,
the
case
looks
very
serious
for
the
young
man,
and
he
might
indeed
be
guilty.
Yet,
there
are
several
people
in
the
area,
including
Miss
Turner,
the
daughter
of
the
local
landowner,
who
believe
he's
innocent.
They
have
hired
Lestrade,
whom
you
might
remember
from
the
Study
in
Scarlet,
to
investigate
in
his
favor.
Lestrade,
being
somewhat
puzzled,
has
referred
the
case
to
me,
which
is
why
two
middle-aged
gentlemen
are
speeding
westward
at
fifty
miles
an
hour
instead
of
enjoying
their
breakfast
at
home.”
“I
fear,”
I
said,
“that
the
facts
are
so
clear
that
you
won't
gain
much
recognition
from
this
case.”
“There
is
nothing
more
misleading
than
an
obvious
fact,”
he
replied,
laughing.
“Besides,
we
might
discover
some
other
obvious
facts
that
Lestrade
might
have
missed.
You
know
me
well
enough
to
understand
that
I’m
not
boasting
when
I
say
I’ll
either
confirm
or
dismantle
his
theory
using
methods
he
can’t
employ
or
even
comprehend.
For
example,
I
clearly
see
that
in
your
bedroom,
the
window
is
on
the
right
side,
yet
I
doubt
Mr.
Lestrade
would
notice
such
an
obvious
detail.”
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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes — B2 Inglés | Cuentana